Jul 22, 2014

Today, Chinese mobile phone maker Xiaomi officially announced the upcoming availability of a new flagship handset, in the form of Xiaomi Mi4.

The new device went official during a press event held in Beijing, and it is said to be the fastest smartphone in the world. To ensure high-end performance capabilities for its device, Xiaomi included a 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 processor inside it, along with 3GB of RAM. When last year’s Xiaomi Mi3 was launched, the mobile phone maker claimed that it was the fastest handset in the world at the time, just as it does for the Mi4 today. However, the powerful processor is not the only highly appealing feature that Xiaomi is teasing for its new handset. The company is also touting the phone’s 3080mAh battery as being able to deliver up to one day and a half of usage time, more than what most 5-inch flagship smartphones out there can offer. Moreover, the handset vendor notes that the battery can be charged at 60 percent in less than an hour, so that users won’t stay away from their devices for too long.

The new Xiaomi Mi4 was also announced with a 5-inch touchscreen display that can deliver a full HD resolution and with back-cover replacements to add extra customization options to the package. On the back, the smartphone sports a 13-megapixel camera with a Sony IMX214 sensor, which is capable of recording videos in 4K resolution. Moreover, the mobile phone will arrive on shelves with an 8-megapixel camera on the front and an f/1.8 sensor with 80-degree wide-angle lens, enabling users to enjoy a great experience when it comes to snapping selfies. Xiaomi Mi4 was announced in two different flavors, one featuring 16GB of internal memory, while the other packing 63GB of storage.

The new handset also arrives on shelves with the usual set of connectivity capabilities and sensors inside, while running under the Android operating system. The phone will also sport nano-coating for water resistance. Moreover, the phone features Xiaomi’s own MIUI loaded on top, which provides users with a wide range of customization capabilities. The mobile phone maker confirmed that a new variant of the user interface was set to become available in August, in the form of MIUI 6.5. Users in China interested in the purchase of Xiaomi Mi4 should know that the device is set to be put up for pre-order in the country as soon as July 29, as AndroidOS reports. The handset will be quite affordable, considering its hardware specs. The 16GB model will cost 1,999 Yuan ($322/€238), while the 64GB variant will be priced at 2,499 Yuan ($403/€298).